Tuesday, June 16, 2009

Calgary City Council Report Card receives a passing grade.

Yesterday a coalition of business lobbyists released their mid-term report cardon Calgary City Council. The report was based specifically on business related issued and rated the City Councillors and the Mayor on their performance. Seeing that half of council received a FAILING GRADE, those with losing marks cried foul with the report. ( Naturally...)

I was pleased (and not surprised at all) to see that my Alderman, Ric McIver received the highest grade! A++. Ric has always been a voice for lower taxes and creating a friendlier business environment in Calgary. I am sure that this A+ ranking is driving Bronco crazy! Also, it appears that "D" student Gord Lowe took a shot at Ric yesterday by stating "If you never propose, you only oppose, you get a higher mark." Perhaps this is in reference to Ric'sDr. No nickname?

At the bottom of the scale, Sugarplum & Fairies Alderman Druh Farrell received a justifiable F grade. If this report card was based on $25 Million pedestrian bridges or closing down Memorial Drive on Sunday's , I am sure she would receive an A+. ( I have heard rumours that she is considering a run for mayor...can you imagine that?)

I know the detractors ( ie. supporters of those who failed this report) will say that this report is biased or unfair, but each and every Alderman was tested the same way. I am sure Bronco, Pincott and Hawksworth will ask the Liberal/NDP establishment to commission their own fairy tale report soon. Trust me gentlemen, it looks like you will need any good press you can create heading into the next election!

I'll brave the storm here and respond to your post. I believe we have varying viewpoints on some of the issues and how the coalition ranked the aldermen. I personally wouldn't give them As or Bs for the work they've done. Cs sound about right thanks to gerrymandering, dysfunctionalism, grandstanding, inability to work as a team but rather hide in their own wards, etc.

I don't think I would mind Ric McIver as mayor, but he's got to be a mayor with solutions as well. He has yet to give actual tangible solutions to the things he oppose. Where would you put that $25 million from your capital budget if you're not going to use it for pedestrian bridges? Is shutting down two lanes on Memorial for one Sunday this year going to cause traffic chaos when you look at the broader picture and the construction all over the city?

We forget that the same aldermen we praise turned a blind eye to gerrymandering. We have taken our democratic ideals and shoved it under the rug in favor of economic proposals. Ric McIver wants electoral reform, but will not be self-imposing it on himself when he hosts a golf tournament in September. Yes it is legal, but is it consistent with his rhetoric?

It's not like I'm going to let Bronconnier off the hook either. It's usually a lot of aggressiveness and political timing on his part to get what he wants. He used the provincial election to his own electoral advantage and not the advantage of the people. His use of the committed billions of dollars from the provincial government is terrible. Why expand the LRT beyond Crowfoot when it's the least dense area in the city? Now that's a hefty $300 million price tag that could have gone to the airport tunnel.

No one deserves an A, especially Chabot, and if they do they'll have to earn it.